Don’t expect any automakers to set off any fireworks over the weekend because of their green-vehicle sales from last month. Indeed, while US consumers may celebrate summertime gas prices that remain about 17 percent lower than a year ago, automakers are looking at a US hybrid and plug-in vehicle market that continues to stagnate.
While Americans boosted their purchases of plug-in vehicles, hybrid sales remain off. US hybrid, diesel, plug-in hybrid, and electric-vehicle sales in June fell about 21 percent from a year earlier to about 35,000 units, despite the fact that plug-in vehicle sales rose about 11 percent to almost 10,000 units.
As it’s been all year, much of that shortfall is from Volkswagen and the stop-sale it has on its diesel vehicles as the German automaker sorts out its emissions-scandal mess.
Japanese companies also took a hit last month.
Japanese companies also took a hit last month. Toyota’s green-car sales fell 8.3 percent from a year earlier to almost 20,000 vehicles, as the company’s four Prius variants combined to move 11,027 units, down 27 percent from June 2015. Camry and Avalon Hybrid sales also fell, as did Lexus hybrid demand.
Worse yet was Nissan, which saw its Leaf electric vehicle sales plunge 47 percent from a year earlier to 1,096 units. And then there was Honda, where green-car sales all but disappeared. The company moved just 355 hybrids and plug-ins, which marked an 82 percent plunge from a year earlier.
That rip tide overtook some progress from Ford, General Motors, and BMW (and, likely, Tesla, which doesn’t disclose monthly or US-only sales figures). GM’s green-car sales advanced 11 percent from a year earlier to 2,522 units, as sales of the Chevrolet Volt extended-range plug-in rose 58 percent from June 2015. BMW’s i sub-brand of plug-in vehicles saw a 13 percent increase in sales to 777 units.
Best of all was Ford, whose green-car sales were enough last month to make anyone patriotic. The Blue Oval’s Fusion Energi Plug-in Hybrid more than doubled its sales from a year earlier to 1,700 units, while Fusion Hybrid sales were up 50 percent to 2,542 vehicles. Overall, Ford’s green-car sales jumped 25 percent from June 2015 to almost 7,200 units.
